November 29, 2018

Holiday Gift Guide for the Host/Hostess: Winter Candles

It's time to roll out the Yule Tide Carols, holly, mantle swag, & warm winter candles. Honestly, one of the few good things about the cold {you know how I feel about cold/winer} are the assortment of holiday & winter candles. Ahh, I can smell them now!

With Christmastime in the air, you'll be doing the mistletoe-party hop. Meaning, you're going to have to gift the humble host something little but meaningful aka a candle.

Below, I have selected my personal favorite winter candles that are unisex in packaging & scent as well would make for the perfect hostess gift this season.

Holiday Gift Guide for the Host/Hostess: Winter Candles

One of my favorite winter scents is the scent of pine as it's a pretty universal scent to most & it's always just fresh, crisp, & a seasonal classic winter candle staple to have.

Sweet yet savory--isn't that the perfect ice cream variety we all crave? This Glade candle is kind of like that with notes of nuts & vanilla bean. Any hostess would love this Nutcracker inspired candle.

A bit mysterious with hints of smoky birch tar, vanilla bean, and cedar makes the travel size Willow Palo Santo candle a great his or her gifting option this holiday season. Plus, I am a fan of the cool tin/packaging!

Don't let the pink label fool you--Les is the plural form for masculine & feminine in French--oui. oui. I have gifted this candle during September 2018 Fashion Week & it smells so divine! Notes of peach blossom, white cedar, jasmine rice, & other scents make this candle delicious.

November 26, 2018

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for the Inspo Seeker

'Tis the season to kick off holiday gifts & seasonal gift guides! This year, I made the conscious decision {effort, really} to create my first really-well-thought-out seasonal gifts guides curated by brands I have partnered with, personally worked with as well as products that I have bought myself to create a series of four Christmas/Holiday Gift Guides.

The first guide, Gifts for the Inspo Seeker aka bloggers, influencers, photographers, artists, creators, & creatives in your life.

1. A rose gold keyboard that's Bluetooth compatible is just about as swanky as it gets when thinking about the writer and or blogger in your life. No worries if rose gold isn't for her or him there is also silver, space gray, & gold options too.Aluminum Bluetooth Keyboard, Satechi.Net, {$80}

2. You'll recall the sequin pillows that flip to one hue & then the next with the stroke of your palm? Okay, nothing new, but what is new is the sequin pillow & then a quick hand flip & it's your pet's face! Yep, that's right, your pup's face on one of the mermaid pillows makes for one inspirational gift to give. Merry Christmas!PawPillows, Mermaid Pillow Co, {$59}

3. The best gift that I recently bought myself is the UO Home Crossly Suede record player. The record player looks vintage, but it's also Bluetooth compatible & I can now listen to my favorite tracks on cool vinyl like the Holiday Micheal Bublé record.Crossly UO Exclusive Tan Velvet Cruiser Bluetooth Record Player, Urban Outfitters, {$99}

4. I have always wanted a pocket photo printer & this little one is a keeper. However, the Insta Cool factor here is that the LifePrint Portable Photo Printer prints photos & videos with augmented reality! There's an app that comes with the LifePrint portable printer that assists with the photo to video printing & makes for a cool Instagram post! Works with iPhone & Android.LifePrint Portable Photo & Video Printer, White, Amazon, {$89}

6. All creatives need to have a poppin' phone case--there's just no excuse. A custom liquid sand phone case from Casetify is the gift they'll want to open first! You can have their name, nickname, monogram, & so on printed on a neon liquid sand phone case that's durable too--so cool! & You can pink the font style & color as well as the liquid sand color.Neon Sand Liquid Case, Casetify, {$49}

Best Gifts to buy the person who has it all

Tezza's InstaStyle

Additional Gifts for the Inspo Seeker:

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Happy Gifting! Thursday, there's another round of gift ideas followed by next week's gifts for her & him! I am always sharing more ideas over on my Instagram @Katelynchef

November 19, 2018

Holidays often come with a bundle of feelings--often, there are the most well-known-most associated feelings of joy, excitement, & merriment.

However, as I've gotten older, another round of feelings come along with this time of year & to put it simply--it's an overwhelming sensation.

No matter if you're cooking, shopping, entertaining, decorating, & wrapping the overwhelming feeling does seem to start to creep-in right now. However, my philosophy this season is to work ahead {a bit} & once the season starts to settle in, enjoy myself & not stress too much about pleasing everyone--if you're feeling happy 'jolly' others will feel that & follow suit! There's just too much pressure on perfectionism--especially right now & the fun/beautiful can be found in the un-perfectly-perfect details.

Top & Bottoms via Terez {c/o}

Also, it helps to be thankful for the little things. Happy Thanksgiving!

November 15, 2018

Thanksgiving is days away {can you taste the turkey already} & that means holiday parties, family gatherings, & friendly night dinner parties are in full merriment.

Before you head out to someone's home, I thought it'd be helpful to visit {or revisit} some 'do's & don't's as a guest at someone's humble abode---of course, I am no professional expert, but I always try to be a good guest/mannerly whenever possible.

Do arrive with something for the host/hostess. A simple token of appreciation such as a seasonal candle, festive dish towel{s}, wine, boxed candy, & other homey-gifts is a nice gesture when coming over for dinner/a party.

Don't arrive with food {flowers} that may put the hostess out. Meaning if they're not planning on your hot/need-to-be-baked dish it's probably a good idea to bring something that doesn't need to be kept warm as the oven space is accounted for by him/her.

Flowers Do's & Don't's. Also, flowers are nice, but if they require water & a vase ASAP that's more work for the party-thrower--so, pass on that idea. There's plenty of flower companies that sell/arrange flowers inside a vase--that way is a do.

Do help clean the table/gather small table trash. I try to keep my cups/plates pretty tidy up & if there's nearby forgotten cups {say paper/plastic} as well as candy wrappers, napkins {you get the picture} I just trash 'em.

Shoe do's & don't's. I feel like this one is controversial as it really depends on the person & what they do in their home. If they're wearing their shoes in their house it's probably safe to leave yours on. However, if you're like me & don't wear street shoes indoors then remove your shoes at the doorstep. If this is the preference of the host, they should provide slippers for guests. If you're worried/not sure you can always ask him/her! Keep a pair of slippers in your car--just in case!

Party Ghosting, do or don't? Haha, are you the person that just leaves the party without saying goodbye? If it's a super large party {bigger than 20} it's probably okay to just leave. However, if it's smaller or you want to be rather-polite; it's always nice to thank the host in-person before leaving & say goodnight!

Thank You do & don't. No matter what, a handwritten thank you note is always nice! It's a dying art form for sure, but the gesture is a classic mannerly act! Nothing else, a quick, hey what a great dinner party, those cranberry cookies you made were AMAZING!, or I had such a good time last night! text the next day would suffice.

Okay, party-people those are my little tips! & Enjoy the pumpkin patch-fall afternoon photos--pretty sure people thought I was kooky setting up my tripod around all the crowds & pumpkin displays...😂

November 12, 2018

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect." Luna Lovegood, Harry Potter, and Goblet of Fire Plaid & {Harry} Potter naturally {in my mind} go together! Since it's the season for plaid & I think any time of year is Harry Potter weather--especially fall I wanted to create a 'Potter Plaid' post rounding up some favorite plaids depending on your Hogwarts' House!

You'll that you need these plaids in your wardrobe {or wizard trunk} ASAP.

Can you say, Accio Plaid & wave your wand? Good. {If you're reading in your email inbox open the blog here so you can see the outfits.}

Hufflepuff

Gryffindor

Late for Quidditch practice...

Ravenclaw

P.S. I really wish the HP movies were on Netflix or something similar--I the movies on DVD, but it's so much easier these days to stream--it has been a few years since I have watched any of the Potter films & I definitely am up for a magical marathon.

November 8, 2018

Of course, you don't arrive empty handed--there's the standard bottle of wine, a beautiful candle, candies, & personalized dish towels that show appreciation to your host/hostess.

However, one thing that {I think} many overlook when venturing over someone's home is their pets--pet people {pet arents} love their pets & love people who love their pets!

When opting to attend your next festive gathering this holiday season, think of the pets residing in that home--& opt to bring them something too-after all, the host & pup will be so appreciative you thought of them!

Happy 4th Birthday, Bentley!

Need some inspiration for shopping stylish-yet pet-friendly pet products? Bentley is wearing a collar & leash gifted by Wild One a new sleek-modern pet brand. Plus, they sent over a matching navy poop bag & extra bags too.

Sizing guide, Bentley wears a 'small' in collars, but this one does run big--so measure accordingly. November 9th is Bentley's 4th Birthday, so we'll do something special for him at home {pretty much vanilla ice cream, a present, & we'll sing to him 😁} Thanks for stopping by!

*Disclaimer with any pet product monitor your pet while using said products

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